Composite cleaning sponges have been developed to remove food deposits which adhere to the dishware. For example, the composite cleaning sponge may comprise a foam layer and a layer of fibers made from natural or synthetic fibers (also known as a scouring pad) affixed to the foam layer by an adhesive. The scouring pad is known to be effective in removing caked-on soil such as food from dish surfaces. However, additional process steps are required to attach the scouring pad to the foam layer. Furthermore, the scouring pad is often too abrasive and may cause damage to the dish surfaces such as a non-stick coating such as a Teflon™ coating on a frying pan. The scouring pad is also less porous and acts against the deformability of the sponge as well as forms an additional barrier for water and detergent absorption by the sponge.
EP 0010408 describes a method of producing an abrasive surface on a sheet of compressible open-cell foam material for cleaning. The method comprises applying a hardenable resin such as an epoxy resin to a surface of the foam sheet through a stencil having holes arranged on the surface of the sheet. After hardening of the epoxy resin, a pattern of regions of hardened resin is formed on the surface of the foam sheet. However, the hardened resin also covers and clogs pores of the surface on which it is formed and this prevents water and/or soil from passing through the foam sheet. Therefore problems of water and detergent absorption by a sponge remain.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method of manufacturing an abrasive sponge which provides effective cleaning of the surfaces to be cleaned with minimal damage to the surfaces.